He was good — very good — and to be realistic about the situation, she had to concede that he had the advantage on her in terms of preparedness. In the years since leaving ACME, her training had taken on a different variety of focus, and while she had no doubt of her own ability to hold her own, that was still a different set of circumstances than a man who devoted continued and persistent time to his own training regimen. He'd give her a run for her money here, no doubt of that.

But more importantly, it would hardly be fair to either of them if she simply avoided his strikes forever. He was here for a bout, and she'd agreed to terms. It'd cheat both of them out of a good opportunity, if she were to go around doing nothing but keeping her distance for the duration.

Already beginning to feel the familiar rush of adrenaline that always came with a good chase, she ducked swiftly under the punch, taking advantage of the same momentum and turning it into a retaliatory kick to the ribs.

Again, perhaps more of a warning shot than an outright blow, but it was talent and preparation that made things happen, and this was still the beginning of the match. She was feeling him out as much as (she suspected, anyway) he was testing her, and once they both had their bearings, well. Then things would really get interesting, wouldn't they?